Unlocking the Black Box: Insights from Top Marketplaces This Black Friday

As South Africa’s biggest shopping event unfolds, retailers and sellers are often flying blind, relying on gut feel. At Wherehouse, we’ve got some great insight to marketplace sales. By abstracting anonymised data from our extensive customer base, we have built a Order Insight Tracker Dashboard that pulls back the curtain on real-time Black Friday performance across South Africa’s leading marketplaces.

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Access the Black Friday 2025 Marketplace Statistics here

The Stats: What We Are Tracking & Why It Matters

Our dashboard provides a live pulse on marketplace sales, focusing on two critical metrics: Order Distribution and Basket Size.

This metric reveals where South Africans are actually spending their money. While everyone knows Takealot is the giant in the room, our data highlights the "long tail" of opportunity.

The Insight: We track the percentage split of orders flowing through Takealot vs. Makro, Amazon, and niche players.

The Trend: Historically, we see Takealot commanding the lion's share, but platforms like Makro and Amazon are growing rapidly. They frequently see spikes in specific categories during Black Friday as savvy shoppers hunt for deals on bulk items (think furniture) or tech.

2. Basket Size (Average Order Value)

Volume isn’t everything; value matters.

The Insight: This stat tracks the average Rand value of a checkout basket on each platform.

The Trend: Niche marketplaces like Leroy Merlin or Makro often command significantly higher basket sizes than generalist platforms because they cater to home improvement projects and bulk buying. Tracking this helps sellers understand which platform drives higher profitability per sale, rather than just raw volume.

Value for Sellers: Why Multi-Channel is the Only Way to Grow

The single biggest takeaway from our data is the risk of reliance on a single channel. Sellers who list exclusively on one marketplace are leaving money on the table. Some of our sellers have seen up to an additional 30% worth of sales by branching out to more marketplaces.

Diversify Risk: If your primary channel changes its fees or algorithm, your business is vulnerable. Being active on 3+ marketplaces insulates you from platform-specific volatility.

Capture Different Audiences: The shopper buying a generator on Leroy Merlin is in a different mindset than the one buying headphones on Amazon or daily essentials on Takealot. Our dashboard proves that different platforms peak at different times and for different products.

Optimise Inventory: By using Wherehouse, you can manage selling on multiple channels seamlessly. From listing products, to syncing stock to reporting on sales.

The SA Marketplace Landscape: A Seller’s Guide

Understanding the terrain is half the battle. Here is how the major players stack up in the current South African e-commerce ecosystem:

Takealot

The Heavyweight: Still the undisputed king of SA e-commerce.

Best For: High volume, general merchandise, and "daily deal" hunters. It is the default search engine for SA shoppers.

Seller Strategy: Essential for visibility, but competition is fierce. Winning the Buy Box here is critical.

Makro

The Bulk Giant: Backed by Massmart/Walmart, Makro has successfully pivoted to a strong marketplace model.

Best For: Electronics, large appliances, and bulk consumables.

Seller Strategy: High average basket size. Ideal for sellers with "pantry loading" or high-ticket tech items.

Amazon.co.za

The Challenger: Since its local launch, Amazon has been steadily onboarding sellers and refining its logistics.

Best For: Early adopters and premium service seekers (Prime).

Seller Strategy: A massive growth opportunity. Early sellers here can establish dominance before the marketplace becomes as saturated as Takealot.

Leroy Merlin

The Niche Specialist: The go-to for DIY, home improvement, and construction.

Best For: Hardware, decor, and tools.

Seller Strategy: Extremely high intent. Shoppers here aren't browsing aimlessly; they are building. Basket sizes are typically much higher here than on generalist sites.

Bobshop (formerly Bidorbuy)

The Veteran: A unique mix of auctions and "buy now" listings.

Best For: Collectibles, second-hand goods, and competitive tech deals.

Seller Strategy: Great for clearing stock or reaching a community of dedicated bargain hunters who understand the platform's unique dynamics.

Loot

The Reliable Alternative: A long-standing player with a loyal customer base.

Best For: Books, games, and electronics.

Seller Strategy: A stable channel that offers a good alternative to the chaos of the bigger platforms.

Summary

The Wherehouse Black Friday Dashboard isn't just a scoreboard; it's a roadmap. By analysing the order distribution and basket sizes, sellers can see clearly that the future of South African e-commerce is multi-marketplace.